By; Al Humphrey Onyanabo
Peak Nite Club in Surulere, lagos, was the premium spot in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s for premium entertainment. The super rich swooned in there every weekend to dance to beautiful music and quality entertainment. Week days, they had a top class restaurant, a meeting point for business executives in the environment. The club meant different things to different people and created loads of jobs for the masses.
Inegbese and wife
Let me tell you the story of how the club was birthed. It’s very interesting. In the late 1980s, a businessman from Esan or is it Ishan, ‘blew’ as they now say. He had loads of cash but he was unknown in the social circles of Lagos. He grew up on Lagos island, a typical lagosian who loved the good life. He had fancy sports cars but his dream was to be a top flight socialite in tune with stupendous wealth. His, is a classic story of following your dream.
Back then, he used to frequent Ace of Clubs
owned by gentleman man Jerry Anazia , which later became Ozone Night Club on Allen Avenue, Ikeja.
The top D.j at Ace of Clubs back then was a hunky soft spoken guy called D.J Kola Baiye . KB was instrumental to the setting up of Peak Nite Club. As the story goes, Chief Mike Inegbese used to frequent the Ace of Clubs, loaded with cash. The policy then was to announce patrons of the club who were mostly high-flying young professionals and businessmen of means.
Chief Inegbese , had means but not fame. All this was before he became the Atunwase of Lagos, married the beautiful Mary Jack from Rivers State and blossomed full-time into Lagos society with Commander Ebenezer Obey waxing a record in his honour…so much water under the bridge…
Kola Baiye
Anyway, he wanted recognition. During club hours he will send over a bottle of Remi to the DJ’s booth and asked Kola to announce his name. But KB will refuse saying it was against the house rules because he was not a celebrity. Chief then asked KB what can I do to be popular, and KB answered , set up a night club. Chief said, small thing. He told him money was no problem. He gave him the matching order to find a suitable location. KB a Surulere boy, born and bred there, chose somewhere close to his home. He needed a sprawling edifice that could house a magnificent nite club.
He picked Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, which was the bubbling part of town. And the structure is the oresent First Bank building, which had just been constructed by LSDPC.
Chief took a 10-year lease, brought in the master Interior decorator, my big brother and senior friend, the late Berkely Ike – jones to design the club. Sources say he gave uncle BJ a blank cheque to design the best and most beautiful night club in Nigeria and he did.
KB jumped ship from Ace of Clubs and alongside DJ Prince 2000, gave patrons great music to dance to. The deal actually was that KB would run the show at Peak Nite Club but success has many friends and relatives. No sooner had the rent been paid and space secured that the plan changed. Naija for you. Lool.
KB also left Peak Nite club years after to start up After 9 nite club, somewhere inside Mafoluku close to the Airforce Base enroute the Murtala Mohammed International Airport back route. After 9 was owned by Terry who also owned a high Street Furniture shop, Corinthians on Toyin / Opebi street junction, ikeja.
Setting up Peak Nite club was just the first step in Inegbese’s quest to establish himself in town.
Back then two businesses were highly vogue, car dealership and cosmetics brand ownership. Let me explain. Be patient.
There were a set of new breed car mart owners in the horizon who were recognised by the society as trail blazers and super rich, especially in Lagos. They included Tayo Ayeni of Skymitt, Bube Okorodudu of Carlink, Sunny Motors owned by the super rich Chief Sunny Asemota , Elizade Motors owned by the Legendary Chief Ade Ojo , who owned the Toyota franchise in Nigeria, the flamboyant Chief Willie Anumudu , owner of Globe motors and Alhaji Lanre Shittu of blessed memory, Chairman of Lanre Shittu Motors , one of the elite few to sell brand new Rolls Royce .
To join this league, Mike Inegbese set up Inec- Mic Autos on Western Avenue, now Funso Williams’ Avenue close to the National Stadium Surulere. And he moved up one inch to be among the bigger boys.
The second line of business that had the super big boys from the East was Cosmetics brand ownership. This was were young turks like Joe Best and Chief I.K Igbuanugo held sway with their toning creams and soaps, which were all popular brands then. He also joined this elite group, setting up with up Ineh- Mic Soap and Creams.
This was before the regulatory agencies banned bleaching creams with hydoquinone. Thereafter most of these brands slowly fizzled out. But it was good while it lasted. Laugh small….
Later he was awarded a doctorate degree by an American University and he became the Atunwase of Lagos. A title conferred on him by late Oba Oyekan if Lagos. The installation ceremony was attended by the who is who in Lagos society and beyond.
They say when a child washes his hands properly, he will eat with kings and princesses. Very true words.
I can’t say for sure who brought who to who but I can say for a certainty that he surrounded himself with some of the brightest young professionals of the day from the old Bendel State. The pack was led by a young, handsome, brilliant, upwardly mobile lawyer from Ibusa, Barrister Chike Chigbue with offices off Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere. Uncle Soni Irabor who had a brilliant career in Radio Nigeria and retired to start Ruyi Communications with his beautiful wife, Betty , was P.R Consultant. Then they had the inseparable duo of Towntalker, Tony Okonedo ( of the Vanguard Newspapers) and Nduka Irabor ( Editor of the African Guardian then) as background media advisers. A great team to have on your side.
The impressario and political strategist, Earl Osaro Onaiwu , was also part of the great team. He was in public relations manager pulling in the Surulere and ikeja money boys.
Enough said.
